Does Mavenclad cause hair loss?

Drugs.com

Official answer

by Drugs.com

Hair loss is an infrequent side effect with Mavenclad (generic name: cladribine), an oral medicine used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. In clinical studies, hair loss occurred in 3% (3 out of every 100) of patients treated with Mavanclad compared to 1% of patients receiving a placebo (inactive) treatment. Hair loss is also referred to medically as alopecia.

Hair loss if not usually a symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, in addition to medications, stress on the body, physically or mentally, can lead to hair thinning or hair loss in some people. Hair loss is usually a temporary side effect for most patients.

Most people lose about 50 to 100 hairs per day and this is not typically obvious. If you are experiencing noticeable hair loss, contact your doctor for an evaluation. It may be that another medicine or medical condition may be leading to your hair loss.

See you doctor if:

  • your hair starts to fall out suddenly or in clumps
  • you have specific patches without hair or bald spots
  • your scalp is red or itchy, is bleeding or has lesions
  • you're worried about your hair loss

    • Which MS drugs lead to hair loss or hair thinning?

    Several other medicines used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) have been reported to lead to hair thinning or hair loss, in addition to Mavenclad.

    These agents include (with incidence, if known):

  • Aubagio (teriflunomide): up to 13%
  • Avonex (interferon beta-1a): 4%
  • Betaseron (interferon beta-1b): <1%
  • Copaxone (glatiramer): incidence unknown (case report)
  • Gilenya (fingolimod): 3%
  • Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate): incidence unknown (case report)

    • Bottom Line

  • Hair loss (alopecia) is not a frequent side effect with Mavenclad, but it has been reported.
  • In clinical studies, alopecia occurred in 3% of Mavenclad-treated patients (3 out of every 100) compared to 1% of placebo patients.
  • Hair loss can occur with other medications, too, including other MS drugs. If you have concerns about hair loss, contact your doctor for an evaluation.

    • This is not all the information you need to know about Mavenclad (cladribine) for safe and effective use. Review the full Mavenclad prescription information here, and discuss this information with your doctor or other health care provider.

    Related medical questions

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords